An Aardark at the Darkness before Dawn

Arthur the Aardvark was a nocturnal creature, and like most of his kind, he preferred to be active at night. He had just woken up from a long day of sleep in his burrow and was eager to begin his search for ants and termites.

As he emerged from his burrow, Arthur was greeted by the darkness of the night. The stars twinkled above him, and the air was cool and crisp. He set off into the forest, his nose twitching as he sniffed out his prey. A beautiful night to be alive. A night of great aardvarkian expectations.

To make things even better clouds continually passed over the moon making the night even darker, which increased the power of Arthur's vision as well as his desire.

But as the hours and the clouds passed, Arthur became increasingly frustrated. He couldn't seem to find any ants or termites. He dug and dug, but the ground was dry and barren. His stomach grumbled, and his hope began to fade.

The higher the hope, the greater the disappointment. Disappointment is the gateway to despair and despair is the gateway to depression.

As the sky began to lighten with the first hints of dawn, Arthur felt a sense of despair wash over him. Daylight meant that his chances of finding food were slim. He trudged back to his burrow, exhausted and defeated.

But as he approached his burrow, he noticed something strange. The ground around his burrow was teeming with ants. He couldn't believe his luck! He quickly dug into the ground and devoured as many ants as he could.

Arthur felt his spirits lift as he ate. He realized that even in the lightest moments, there is always hope. Just when he thought he would never find any food, he stumbled upon a bounty of ants right in front of his burrow.

From that moment on, Arthur learned to keep hope alive even during the day. The quality of his dreams improved and he found himself more rested and more effective in his nocturnal searches for food. Having confronted the dawn of despair he learned that as a nocturnal creature, he might struggle to find food during the day, but he also knew that he had the ability to adapt and find new opportunities and that new opportunities might find him.